Paper web pre-steamer



Sept 27, 1955 H. w. BRUKER ET Al. 2,718,712

PAPER WEB PRE-STEAMER Filed March 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheetl l IN VEN TORS.

Sept. 27, 1955 H, W. BRUKER ET AL 2,718,712

PAPER WEB PRE-STEAMER Filed March 25, 1955 y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORS.

Hoe/1R7- WEUKE/, BY HAE'EYI'T'BLAC ATTORNEYS United States Patent O PAPER WEB PRE-STEAMER Hobart W. Bruker and Harry F. Black, Bordentown, N. J., assignors to George W. Swift, Jr., Inc., Bordentown, N. I., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 275, 1953, Serial No. 344,602

4 Claims. (Cl. 34--15S) The invention relates to'so-called pre-Steamers such as are used in connection with paper corrugating machines to moisten and pre-heat the paper web to be corrugated, on its way to the corrugating rolls. Such a pre-steamer should be adjustable in Veifective'transverse extent, so to speak, to conform to different widths of web, and it is to this phase of the pre-steamer that the present invention particularly relates. Adjustments of the above nature as heretofore made have required the provision of a` substantial number of valves or cocks which had to be turned on and off in conforming the pre-steamer to different widths of web, and the present` invention aims primarily to provide for such adjustments in a simpler and more easily operated way.

In accordance with the present invention I provide in conjunction with a steam chamber having a bounding wall with openings extending therethrough at various points transversely of the chamber, one or more partition members constructed to extend across the interior of the steam chamber to shut off one or both end portions of the chamber from steam entering the chamber, these partition members being shiftable to various positions transversely of the steam chamber, thereby to alter the effective transverse extent, so to speak, of the chamber, and also the transverse extent of the openings through the bounding wall of the chamber, which are in communication with steam entering the chamber. Thus merely by altering the transverse positions of these partition members, the effective transverse extent of the pre-steamer over which the web travels, may be readily altered to conform to different widths of web. Preferably as hereinafter described in greater detail, the pre-steamer is made up of a number of pre-steamer units of the character above described, so coordinated as to provide steam pockets between adjacent units, and provided with partition members which serve successive units conjointly. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the description hereinafter contained which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred form of pre-steamer constructed to operate in accordance with the invention; the disclosure however should be considered merely as illustrative of the invention in its broader aspects. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a presteamer of preferred construction.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing separately, one of the partition members adapted to be used in conjunction with the form of pre-steamer shown in Figs. l and 2.

The form of pre-steamer unit shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a steam chamber 1 running transversely across the path of travel of a paper web 2 to be moistened and preheated, the steam chamber 1 having a convex bounding wall 3 over which the web travels, and the wall 3 having openings 4' therethrough at various points transversely of the chamber. The chamber 1 is shown as hav- ICC ing opposite end walls 5 which may be understood as appropriately secured to frame members 6. i

The central portion of chamber 1 is provided with appropriate steam admitting means consisting Vof a nozzle 7 communicating through a branch pipe 8 with a steam supply pipe 9, a valve 10 being provided to shut or control the rate of ilow of steam to chamber 1 as desired. A drain pipe 11 is also shown as leading from chamber 1 through a valve 12 to an oiftake pipe 13 for condensate. w

To alter the effective transverse extent so to speak of the chamber 1 to conform to different widths of paper web which may be treated by the apparatus from time to time, I provide one or more partition members 14 V(See right hand portion of Fig. l) which extendacross the interior of chamber 1 and thereby shut off the corresponding end portion 1a of the steam chamber from the steam supply so that no steam will ilow through the openings 4 which are served by the end portion 1L of the steam chamber. The partition member 14 is so coordinated with the chamber 1 that it may be shifted to various transverse positions therein. In the illustrated ern-l bodiment of the invention the `openings4 are in the form, of slits through the convex wall 3, and the `partition member 14 is in the form of a plate which is selectively insertible and withdrawable through rany desired slit 4, by means of a handle 15. As shown in Fig. 1 two of the above mentioned partition members 14 are preferably employed, and positioned respectively adjacent the opposite side edges of the paper web 2.

Preferably as shown in Fig. 2, a number of successive steamer units embodying steam chamber 1A, 1B and 1C and associated parts above described, are coordinated as shown in Fig. 2, so that the web 2 passes successively over their convex surfaces, and these convex surfaces form successive trough-like pockets 16 (Fig. 2) extending transversely across the width of web 2, and into which pockets steam passes through the openings 4 which are positioned between the partition members 14. Thus the steam will act substantially uniformly across the width of the web. In this embodiment of the invention, the partition members 14, 14A, 14D and 14C may be in the form of a unitary blade with the handle 15 extending therefrom as shown in Fig. 3, so as to serve all of the units conjointly.

While the invention has been disclosed as carried out by pre-steamer apparatus of the above described specific form, it should be understood that changes may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A paper web pre-steamer of the character described, having therein a steam chamber extending transversely across the path of travel of the web, means for admitting steam to a portion of said chamber, a wall bounding said chamber adjacent the path of travel of the web past the pre-steamer, said wall having slits therethrough which are spaced transversely along said chamber, and one or more partition members constructed to extend across the interior of said steamer chamber between said steam admitting means and an end wall of said chamber to thereby shut oif the corresponding end portion of said chamber from said steam admitting means, said partition members being withdrawable and insertible selectively through the aforesaid slits, thereby to alter the transverse extent of said steam chamber which is in communication with said steam admitting means.

2. A paper web pre-steamer of the character described having therein a steam chamber extending transversely across the path of travel of the web, means for admitting steam to said chamber, said chamber having a wall bounding said chamber adjacent the path of travel of the web past the pre-steamer, said wall having openings extending therethrough at various points transversely along said chamber, the wall of said pre-steamer which is adjacent the path of travel of the web being shaped to provide successive transversely extending pockets therein, and said pockets being in communication with said steam chamber through said openings, and one or more partition members selectively insertible in said openings to close oi the flow of steam through certain of said openings, said partition members having portions engaging in said pockets to close oi the ow of steam from within said pockets past said last mentioned portions of said partition members.

3. A paper web pre-steamer of the character described having a plurality of juxtaposed pre-steamer units Vlocated successively along the path of travel of the web,

each of said units having therein a steam chamber and a convex wall bounding said chamber adjacent the path of travel of the web past the pre-steamer, the aforesaid walls being coordinated to provide pockets therebetween which extend transversely of the path of travel of the web past the pre-steamer, means for admitting steam to portions of said chambers, said convex walls having openings extending therethrough at various points transversely along said chamber to afford communication between the aforesaid steam chambers and pockets, and one or more partition members selectively insertible in said openings to close oit the flow of steam through certain of said openings, said partition members having portions engaging in said pockets to close ot the flow of steam from within said pockets past said last-mentioned portions of said partition members.

4. A paper web pre-steamer of the character described having a plurality of juxtaposed pre-steamer units located successively along the path of travel of the web, each of said units having therein a steam chamber extending transversely across the path of travel of the web, and a convex wall bounding said chamber adjacent the path of travel of the web past the pre-steamer, the aforesaid walls being coordinated to provide pockets therebetween which extend transversely of the path of travel of the web past the pre-steamer, means for admitting steam to portions of said chambers, said walls having slits therethrough at various points transversely along said chambers, and one or more partition members constructed to extend across the interiors of said steam chambers between said steam admitting means and end walls of said chambers, said partition members being selectively insertible and withdrawable through said slits.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 378,266 Simonds Feb. 21, 1888 495,950 Shorrock et al. Apr. 18, 1893 1,759,804 Pieron May 20, 1930 1,908,284 Butcher et al May 9, 1933 2,464,119 Dawson Mar. 8, 1949 2,574,900 Williams et al Nov. 13, 1951 

